The Battle of Hogwarts: POV of Andre Firestone
by BryanFirestone
Summary: An descriptive insight of the Battle of Hogwarts in the perspective of Andre Firestone. My first fan-fic, please review :
1. Chapter 1: The Great Hall

THE BATTLE OF HOGWARTS

_In the perspective of Andre Magalhaes_

_CHAPTER 1: THE GREAT HALL _

Someone was attempting to rouse me from my slumber. A hand, vigorously shaking my shoulder. And then, my best friend, Cameron's voice, "Andre…Andre…wake up, mate…come on…wake up…" He opened my eyes and looked at him as I slowly raised myself into a sitting position. "What's going on…?" I said, "It can't be morning already…" I said sleepily. That's when I noticed that there was an enormous amount of racket and noise from my fellow Gryffindor sixth-year friends. I watched curiously, as they scrambled into their school robes. I looked at Cameron, "What's happening? Why are they dressing?" I asked him. Cameron, very seriously, said, "Snape wants everybody down in the Great Hall." I glared at him incredulously as I stared at my watch, "It's 11:00 at night, Cameron! We just got into bed!" I exclaimed. Cameron just shrugs, " I know…just…get dressed, will you…"

We marched down the Marble Staircase in ranks. Everything had become highly militarized ever since Alecto and Amycus Carrow had been put in charge of discipline. Infamous for making students practice the Cruciatus Curse on first years who ended up in detention. I thought of my seventh year friend, Neville Longbottom, who had bravely refused the Carrows and fled into hiding. No one really knows where he is…but he is somewhere in the castle. We were forbidden to speak to anyone whilst marching in ranks such as these, but I chanced a glance at Cameron, two people away from me. He looked at me and shared a mental message, _What in the world is going on?_

Staying in our ranks, we waited the arrival of our _beloved_ headmaster. The hall was painfully dark and the only light shone was that of the moon. The Carrows flanking either side of the staff table whilst the rest of the teachers and staff, decided to stay in the very back of the hall. When the clanging of the bronze doors sounded, no one dared to look round. What was the point in doing so? We all knew who walked through those doors. Snape's cloak billowed as he strutted to the raised platform, where everyone can see his ugly, twisted face and greasy black hair. He looked at us all for a moment. I was feeling rather impatient and wanted to know why he had disturbed our sleep. Finally, he said, "Many of you are wondering why I have summoned you at this hour…it has come to my attention…that Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade…"

There was an immediate tumult of whispering and muttering. I glanced to the back of the hall and watched as each teacher exchanged confused and utterly surprised expressions. _Harry Potter? _I thought. _In Hogsmeade?_ This didn't make one bit of sense. Why has the prolonged "Chosen One" decided that now was the time to be spotted in Hogsmeade? Which, I hardly need tell you is crawling with Death Eaters.

"_Now…_" Snape's voice hushed everyone in the hall. We did not dare look at him, but merely just stared at our feet. Snape continued, "Should anyone attempt to aid Mr. Potter…whether student _or_ staff…will be severely punished…in a manner consistent of their transgressions…Furthermore…" He took another long pause before he looked at the lot of us. The way he took pauses between sentences made the words bear down on us all.

He went on, "If anyone is found to have information on Mr. Potter's location…who refuses to come forward…will be treated as…equally…guilty…" Snape looked at all of us once more. An awkward silence filled the air. I looked only with my eyes to see the Carrows share a sinister smile. Snape stepped down from the platform and began to slowly walk through the aisle of terrified students.

"If anyone here…has any knowledge…of Mr. Potter's movements this evening…I would like them to step forward…_now_..."

Snape's words hung in the air. No one dared move a muscle we all just continued to stare at our feet. We waited for what seemed an hour, until there was an enormous gasp. I whirled around and my eyes bulged. Harry Potter stood there with a look of resentment on his face. He spoke in a booming voice, "It would seem, you have a little bit of a security problem…_headmaster_…" The doors of the Great Hall opened and in came at least fifteen people. I recognized a few of them. Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, the Weasley Twins, the brother Bill, Fleur Delacour from the Triwizard Torunament three years ago, and my former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher: Professor Lupin. Snape's facial expression remained indifferent and the Carrows had drawn their wands. I turned around as Harry spoke again to Snape, "Tell them how it happened that night…tell them how you looked into the eyes of a man who trusted you…and killed him. TELL THEM!" he bellowed at Snape. Now, I hadn't the foggiest of what he was talking about, so looked to Cameron for help. He looked back and mouthed the name, "_Dumbledore._"

Before I could react, there was another stifling gasp. I wheeled around and found Snape and Harry with wands pointing at each others chests. They were a split second away from dueling each other when Professor McGonagall strode in front of Harry and put out an arm to shield him. Snape lowered his wand hesitantly for a fraction of a second, but nonetheless quickly raised it back up. There a small pause, and then McGonagall waved her wand, emitting fiery orange sparks at Snape. Snape was too quick on the up-taking as he quickly deflected the spell but barely had time to breathe as another spell flew at him. Everyone backed up against the wall as McGonagall stayed on the offensive, her spells too quick to allow Snape enough time to fire one jinx. McGonagall performed this odd movement in which she raised her wand over her head and made a vertical dash in mid air. I didn't know why she had done this until I noticed the Carrows lying unconscious on the floor. The duel didn't last very long. Maybe fifteen seconds at the most. When Snape had finally had enough, he swung his cloak over himself, turned into a plume of black smoke and flew right through the back window of the hall and into the night.

"COWARD! COWARD!" McGonagall shouted hopelessly after him. "He didn't even stay to fight." She muttered under her breath. The Great Hall erupted into applause at the downfall of our oppressors as McGonagall lit the fires in the Great Hall. Yet, our jubilation was short lived when, once again, the fires in the Great Hall were dowsed and no one knew who had done it. We looked around in confusion. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the Hall violently shifted to an extremely ominous and fearful feeling. We all looked around fearfully. I looked up and I saw the clear night sky shown in the very ceiling of the Hall become shrouded with gray and black clouds. Everything became cold and I felt I would never be happy again. These were undoubtedly the sensation of being in the presence of Dementors but there were no sign of them anywhere. They would actually have to be in the room for everyone to feel their effects. No, it was not a dementor…it was something more frightening and cruel. I jumped at the sound of a scream. We looked around to find a little girl crouched against the wall with her hands to her ears as she shrieked. Another girl cried out and then another. Then, out of nothingness, a voice was reverberating off the walls of the Hall, "_I know many of you are wanting to fight…some may think this wise…but this is folly…_" I fell back at the impact the terrifying voice had hit me. Before I fell, Cameron caught me and he too looked around in fear. It was as if the voice was whispering, but the Hall's occupants could hear every single word loud and clear. Almost everybody in the Great Hall had their hands over their ears with their eyes bulging, hanging on to every word of the invisible voice. Harry was walking back and forth through the throng of people, apparently looking for the source it. The voice continued, "_Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed…Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the Castle untouched…Give me Harry Potter, and you shall be…rewarded…you have one hour…_" The last words echoed off the walls as the atmosphere returned to normal and the fires rose again. For a moment, everyone merely stared at Harry, who was now in the center of the Hall where everybody could see him. And then, Pansy Parkinson of Slytherin House, pointed at Harry with her stubby fingers and cried, "But he's there! Someone grab him!" There was another long pause before somebody stepped out in front of Harry with a wand pointed at Pansy. It was Ginny Weasley. And in few moments time, everybody save the Slytherins had made a wall of protection around Harry, including myself. Pansy stood there dumbfounded at the prospect of so many people caring about Harry. Just then, someone had bounded into the Great Hall, "Students out of bed! Students out of bed! Students in the corridors!" Filch came galloping in as fast as he could caressing Mrs. Norris in his arms. McGonagall sighed with impatience, "They are supposed to be out of bed you blithering idiot!" I smirked and so did several people as we watched Filch simply stand there with his mouth agate. McGonagall continued, "As it happens, Argus, your arrival appears most opportune. If you would, I would like you please…to escort Ms. Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin House…" she whipped her wand out in front of her and pointed towards the exit, "…from the Hall." She looked at them with masked disgust. Filch piped up, "And exactly where is it I'll be leading them to, Ma'am?" Without hesitation, McGonagall answered, "The dungeons will do, I think." There was an immediate smatter of applause. I silently snickered as I watched the Slytherins being evacuated from the Hall. I heard, McGonagall say over the shuffling of feet and dying applause, "I'll secure the castle." I listened to her words and realization hit me like a stone wall. _There was a battle about to be fought…_


	2. Chapter 2: Securing The Castle

_CHAPTER 2: SECURING THE CASTLE_

The castle had turned into a hive of chaos as under aged students were being evacuated and people were reporting to different parts of the castle to defend. For a moment, I didn't know what to do or where to go. Having lost Cameron in the crowd of students, I decided to follow McGonagall out into the Entrance Courtyard. I shuffled down the stone steps and out into the center of the courtyard. I looked ahead and watched the fires flare in their torches on the viaduct that led out to the Forbidden Forest. This is how the Death Eaters would enter the castle. That, and the wooden bridge that was directly behind the Quad and protruded from the Clock Tower Courtyard. _The wooden bridge!_ How has no one noticed this! I ran up to McGonagall, "Professor, the viaduct isn't the only way Death Eaters can enter the castle." I said in one breath. She stared at me and said, "How do you mean, Andre?" I took another deep breath before starting another sentence. "They can also get in using the wooden bridge near the Clock Tower." For a moment she looked at the floor and then her eyes slightly bulged. "Of course! How did I not think of that! Let's see…" McGonagall looked round, "Finnigan! Longbottom! Weasley! Come here! Come on, now." The three hurried over to her. "What is it, Professor?" Ginny asked her. "Yes, well…I have a job for you. The wooden bridge near the Clock Tower needs to be destroyed…Yes, I know you must think I'm mad, but the thing is that the bridge provides the Death Eaters another way to enter the Castle. Therefore, _we can not let that happen_." She said emphasizing her last words. Neville shook his head and said, "Let me get this straight, Professor…You are _actually _giving us permission to do this?" McGonagall nodded, "That is correct, Longbottom" Neville could hardly believe this. "To blow it up, boom?" he asked.

"Boom!" McGonagall said in a consenting voice.

For a moment, Neville said nothing until Ginny broke the silence, "How on earth are we going to do that?" she inquired. McGonagall waved impatiently, "Why don't you discuss the matter with Mr. Finnigan. As I understand it he has a particular proclivity for pyrotechnics. Now away you go, shoo!" She waved them away as she drew her wand. By then I had returned to my original location in the courtyard, however a little closer to the viaduct. I had my wand held firmly in my grasp, ready to defend myself at any given time. Then, from behind me, I hear McGonagall cry, "Piertotum Locomotor!" Her arm is pointed out into the Entrance Hall as she waits for something. Suddenly, a large stone statue leaps from its plinth and springs to life. Another loud CLANG and another one is awakened. It goes on until stone knights, wielding swords and axes are practically gushing out into to the courtyard and onto the viaduct. From the looks of it, a grand total of around 500. I watch as Professor Flitwick slowly raises his wand and looks up into the sky as he mutters several different incantations, "_Protego Maxima…Fianto Duri…Cave Inimicum…Salvio Hexia_…" As he speaks each spell a luminous ball of light flies up into the air, and as it got higher it would expand like blankets being drawn over somebody and each blanket of light overlapped the other. Professor Slughorn and McGonagall followed suite as they shot spell after spell into the sky. I saw balls of light coming from the Quad and the Transfiguration Courtyard. I stared up at the sky and watched as the Castle was being encased as if in a glass dome as the protective charms entwined in each other and finally covered every inch of the Castle. The blanket of protection had become invisible now and anyone who tried and walk into the castle would simply disintegrate.

I had found no purpose to stay in the courtyard so I decided to go inside and look for Cameron. I climbed the seemingly endless Marble Staircase weaving through the crowd of panicking students, asking whether they had seen Cameron. I had halfway made it up the steps when I had found a small girl, crouched by a stone gargoyle with her head in her arms. I bent down low and slowly placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at my touch. Her small face was tear-streaked. I looked at her with a caring expression, "What's wrong?" I asked cautiously. She looked at me, "I don't want to fight…I don't want to die…" she said in a small voice. Putting her head between her knees, she continued to cry. I softly said, "Go to Professor McGonagall. She's in the Entrance Courtyard. She'll know what to do…" With a hesitant stare, she thanked me and she was racing down the Marble Staircase.

I came across the door that led to the battlements of the Quad_. This would be faster alternative_, I thought. When I walked in, there were about ten students and five teachers. They were all standing in the glassless windows that overlooked the Entrance Courtyard with their wands at their sides. As I was passing one them, I heard him shout, "_Look!_" He pointed to the Forbidden Forest. I looked over his shoulder and found nothing. I looked around with bewilderment until someone whispered, "My God…" At last I finally found what everyone was staring out. It was if ten, and then thousand, then a million overlarge blue fireflies were flying towards the castle. No, not fireflies…spells and jinxes…and when they hit the barrier that protected the castle, it exploded in a shatter of sparks. The Death Eaters had arrived. I was so lost in my hypnotic state of watching the spells collide against the shield that I barely felt a familiar hand close around my shoulder. I looked up and saw that it was Cameron. He watched the explosions occurring on the shield, 'Amazing, isn't it?" he said in a whisper. I continued to stare at him and said, "I'd be more amazed if the school wasn't about to be attacked…" Cameron said nothing. We continued to stare transfixed at was happening for what seemed like hours but was only mere minutes. Someone had cursed loudly from around the corner. Everyone bustled over to where a burly 7th year Ravenclaw. We looked over his shoulder and saw a small orange light blaring in the distance, outside the Clock Tower and close to Hagrid's Hut. Then I knew what it was, what we were about to face, what we were about to fight against. The Quidditch Pitch had just missed the boundaries of the shield and was now on fire. The stands were collapsing and I saw small black Death Eater apparition trails swirling and flying around what was once the pitch that everybody found recreation and happiness in. I placed my arm around Cameron, because he was a Gryffindor Chaser on the house Quidditch Team and I knew it meant a lot to him. Wanting no more to witness this horrific happening, I tugged on Cameron's arm, "Come on, let's get down to the courtyard…let's get away from here…"


End file.
